Calls for calm as Zambia election results trickle in

Early results from Zambia's presidential election were released on Saturday, with poll observers calling for calm as delays in the counting process followed a tense campaigning period.

President Edgar Lungu of the Patriotic Front (PF) and leading challenger Hakainde Hichilema were predicted to be in a close race for power as Zambia struggles with a weakening economy.

Hichilema, of the United Party for National Development (UPND), alleged on Friday that the count was being undermined by fraud.

Zambian presidential candidate Hakainde Hichilema talks to journalists after casting his ballot in Lusaka, on August 11, 2016

The Electoral Commission rejected Hichilema's allegations that it was colluding with Lungu's party over the result, describing the charges as "regrettable".

By Saturday afternoon, partial results from 29 of the 156 constituencies put Lungu ahead on 262,149 votes with Hichilema on 243,799, according to the commission, with the other seven presidential candidates far behind.

Lungu took power only last year when he beat Hichilema by less than 28,000 votes in a snap election.

Zambia is known for its relative stability, but the run-up to Thursday's vote was marked by weeks of clashes between PF and UPND supporters, with at least three people killed.

The Christian Churches Monitoring Group, which had 1,670 observers at polling stations across the country, described the election as a "step backward for the country", expressing deep concern about the environment before the vote.

"We appeal to all Zambians, regardless of their affiliation to remain peaceful, to reject violence," the group said in a statement.

"Zambia is not a new democracy and should be a model to the region and beyond."

An EU monitoring team also voiced concern about the violence in the run-up to the vote, which led to campaigning being suspended for 10 days -- a move which the observers said had hampered smaller parties running for office.